Boxing great Roy Jones Jr. is returning to the ring for a March 21 hybrid boxing/MMA event that features many notables, including a bevy of UFC veterans.

“March Badness,” promoted by Jones’ Square Ring Promotions in association with Hirsch Borao Boxing, takes place at the Pensacola Civic Center in Florida and airs on pay per view.

Earning headliner status for the MMA portion of the event is Seth Petruzelli, who famously knocked out former EliteXC poster boy Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson in just 14 seconds at five months ago at “EliteXC: Heat.”

Petruzelli (10-4), who took the fight on just a few hours’ notice when Ken Shamrock was pulled from the card, fights for the first time since the October event. He’ll take on former WEC light-heavyweight champion Doug “Rhino” Marshall (9-3).

Also scheduled for the event is former WWE star and three-time NCAA wrestling champion Bobby Lashley (1-0), who’s on loan from the American Fight League. The Army vet made his professional debut in December and posted a 41-second TKO victory. His opponent for the March 21 event has not been announced.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned that former UFC lightweight and “The Ultimate Fighter 4″ cast member Din Thomas, who made his successful featherweight debut during a Feb. 7 show in Missouri, is also in negotiations to appear on the MMA portion of the card.

On the boxing portion of the card, Jones (52-5), an eight-time world champion and former Olympian, takes on Omar Sheika (27-8) in a light-heavyweight contest.

While most of the industry has shunned MMA, Jones has been one of few from the boxing world to heap praise on MMA and its fighters. He and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva even campaigned for a boxing fight last year before UFC officials stepped in and nixed the plans.

Tickets for “March Badness,” which range from $28 to $128, are currently on sale through Ticketmaster.com.

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